Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong ‘no longer has any realistic meaning’, Chinese Foreign Ministry says

Ministry spokesman issues retort to foreign countries’ statements on the political condition of the city, as it marks 20 years since the handover

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Lu also said that what made Hong Kong a success ‘was not up to any outsider to comment on’. Photo: Kyodo

Joyce Ng

Published: 7:43pm, 30 Jun 2017Updated: 1:01am, 1 Jul 2017

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has declared the Sino-British Joint Declaration, that laid the groundwork for Hong Kong’s handover, a “historical document that no longer has any realistic meaning”, after Britain and the United States spoke of the binding effect of the 1984 treaty on China and the city.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang hit back at remarks from the two countries on Friday, hours after they issued statements on the political condition of the city, as it marks 20 years since that handover, from British rule to Chinese.

“Now that Hong Kong has returned to the motherland for 20 years the Sino-British Joint Declaration, as a historical document, no longer has any realistic meaning,” Lu was quoted by Xinhua as saying at a press conference.

China's Deng Xiaoping greets British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, before she signed the joint declaration in 1984. Photo: Xinhua

“It also does not have any binding power on how the Chinese central government administers Hong Kong. Britain has no sovereignty, no governing power and no supervising power over Hong Kong. I hope relevant parties will take note of this reality.”